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Need HELP!!!

Hi all Mommies!

My LO is 6 months old and ever since I introduced solids he has been more fussy, waking up in the middle of the night screaming and refusing to take the bottle (I am expressing milk--back at work ) He is also teething and shoving his fingers constantly in his mouth causing him to throw up some of what he eats...I have NO idea how to help him He has NEVER yet slept through the night and needless to say I am totally exhausted!!!

What am I doing wrong??? He has had some of the following foods already: rice cereal, sweet potato, butternut squash, carrots, and applesauce. Everything but the rice cereal, I have made myself...I keep it to 1 serving at 2-3 oz. a day, following the 4-day rule. I thought if I keep him fuller and more active throughout the day, that he will sleep better at night.

Could this have anything to do with me going back to work 3 weeks ago? My husband has been getting up at night to feed him, and that's when he cries the most...I feel so bad for my husband too because he has been trying to be patient with him. I am lost

Keeping my fingers crossed that someone out there can relate and help me...we all need some sleep, especially my little man <3

Re: Need HELP!!!

That sounds so rough! You sound exhausted. It sounds like a lot is going on for your baby right now. A lot of babies reverse cycle when Mom goes back to work. They take minimal food during the day, and nurse a lot at night to make up for it. It also sounds like the teething is making it even harder for him. Nursing is a natural pain relief.

How do you feel about co-sleeping? If he was in your bed at night you could still rest, he could still nurse, and hopefully things would smooth out.

Re: Need HELP!!!

There is no reason to think that a 6month old would be sleeping through. Is there some reason that you assumed this would happen? IME the opposite is true. Most 6month old wake more frequently due to teething. Is there any reason you can nurse him at nights? Especially the nights that you don't have to work the next day?
Babies who are teething are in pain. They get oxcytocin from your breastmilk and that helps them with the pain.

Re: Need HELP!!!

I have to say that when something is disrupting DD's sleep and she wakes up in the middle of the night, nothing soothes her and gets her back to sleep quicker (! ) than breastfeeding. I think that in addition to the breast milk itself, the sucking action and being cuddled and close to you is a great comfort to your LO.

If you're at all worried about solids--and it seems like you've got enough other stuff to stress about--you can always put it on hold for a bit. If you plan to nurse/offer breast milk, there's no urgency for the little guy to be eating solids. He's getting all the nutrients he needs from the milk. It is possible that his system maybe isn't ready for real food and that it's upsetting his tummy--especially rice cereal, which is fortified with iron and can cause constipation, etc.

Re: Need HELP!!!

I know babies can reverse cycle when mom goes back to work,so maybe he wants to nurse at night.do you cosleep?this can help you a lot!
If he's teething he's obviously fussier and there''s not much you can do but give him cold things to suck on.
you could also try like PP said to delay solids some more..he doesn't really need them yet. HTH!

I'm Lisa,SAHM to M. 5/14/09 my velcro boy!

we made it to 19 mos!!! no end in sight
always and (I'd like to have a just LO and mom cosleeping smilie...)
food sensitivity to dairy,apple and orange
we just started to put cloth on
if I'm here I'm
love this forum!!!

Re: Need HELP!!!

I just wanted to comment about the throwing up-my DS would sometimes make himself gag because he liked the sensation, but he really only did this when he'd eaten too much. Your DS really might feel overly full for what he's used to and have a funny feeling in his throat. You could delay or cut back a bit on the amounts you're using.

I agree with PPs about cosleeping-definitely a sanity saver. Even if you don't cosleep-breastfeeding 'from the tap' could save you all some sanity too. It sounds like you have a wonderful husband who's wanting to handle night feeding, but there is a new study out that says there are actually sleep inducing chemicals in breastmilk only during the night! BM is Amazing. Those same chemicals don't keep in expressed milk. The oxytocin will help you feel less stressed too...

Like a discussion in another thread, your baby could be wanting you more at night right now because you're back at work. A lot of babies want extra nursing when momma's there-your DS may just miss you

Re: Need HELP!!!

Thanks for all your advice I don't know why I expect him to sleep through the night, other than my daughter did when she was 6 months and EVERYONE keeps telling me that he should be...I know I shouldn't be comparing him to my daughter but it's the only "scale" I have that tells me if I'm doing things right.

I work every day and I know that this has been a HUGE change for my little man, so tonight I made it a point in playing with him, feeding him, and putting him to bed---some quality time with him I hope it helps us both
I miss him just as much as he misses me

Thanks again for your replies...it's so good to hear from other moms because your words are always so kind and reassuring!!!